Ikkis (2026) is a Hindi war drama that tells the true story of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, the young Indian Army officer who became the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, the country’s highest gallantry award. Agastya Nanda plays Arun, a bright and fearless young cadet whose journey takes him from the training grounds of the Indian Military Academy to the front lines of the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

The heart of the film lies in the Battle of Basantar, one of the fiercest tank battles of that war. Arun, barely twenty-one and newly commissioned into the Poona Horse regiment, leads his troops through heavily mined terrain to support fellow soldiers under intense attack. Outnumbered and facing overwhelming enemy armour, the young officer refuses to pull back even as the situation around him grows desperate. The battle scenes are staged with gritty realism, focusing on split-second decisions, fear and brotherhood rather than empty spectacle.

Running alongside the battlefield story is a deeply personal thread. Dharmendra appears as Arun’s father, M. L. Khetarpal, himself a former army officer, and the film explores the bond between a father who understands the meaning of duty and a son determined to live up to it. The father’s own memories and emotions add a tender mirror to the young soldier’s story, giving the war drama a strong human core. It is this father-son thread that gives the film its lasting emotional weight.

Directed by Sriram Raghavan, Ikkis chooses reflection over loud jingoism, presenting war as an experience of courage, fear, loss and memory. With grounded battle sequences and heartfelt performances, it stands as a moving tribute to a real hero — and a reminder of the heavy price that very young soldiers sometimes pay in silence.

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